Apparatus for playing a table game



K. A. WIDEGREN EI'AL APPARATUS FOR PLAYING A TABLE GAME Jan. 21, 1941.

Filed Oct. 26, 1939 Patented Jan. 21, 1941 "UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,229,232 APPARATUS FOR PLAYING A TABLE GAME Klas August Widegren and Emil Henrik Widegren, Lidingo, Sweden Application October 26, 1939, Serial No..301,506 In Sweden October 29, 1938 7 Claims.

This invention relates to that type of table game apparatus adapted to imitate, hockey, football or the like which comprises a board having a playing surface and a set of playing pieces which may be both displaced along slots in the board and each rotated about an axis forming a certain angle with relation to the said surface of the board for the propelling on the playing surface of a disc (or puck), ball, or the like.

The invention is characterized by the fact that each playing piece is carried by a standard projecting through the respective slot, which standard is positively connected below the board by means of an angularly bent flexible connection to one end of the rod extending substantially parallel to the surface of the board, the other end of the rod projecting beyond the peripheral edge of the board and being there accessible for operation, so that the rod can be both displaced along the corresponding slot in the board and rotated unlimitedly about its axis independently of the rods for the other standards, the standard and its rod being maintained in a certain position in relation to each other by means of a carrier in which both of them are rotatably mounted, so that due to this feature and due also to the provision of suitable guiding means for the rod, the carrier or another member connected to the standard, the latter during its movement is always maintained at a given angle in relation to the surface of the board, all with the object in view of allowing the players to control the playing pieces by means of the parts of the rods projecting beyond the peripheral edge of the boardin order to displace them along the slots of the board and rotate them unlimitedly together withtheir standards.

The'invention isillustrated in the accompanying drawing.

Figure l is a plan View of the game apparatus.

Figure 2a: is a side elevation on a larger scale, and

Figure 2b is a plan view on the same scale as Figure 20., showing the connection between the standard adapted to carry a playingv piece and the rod for controlling the standard.

Figure 3 is aside elevation of a modified form of saidconnection.

Figure 4 is a side elevation of a detail.

The game apparatus shown in Figure 1 is intended to'imitate ice hockey. There are. six playing-pieces on each team, namely one at the goal, two adjacent thereto, and three farther off. The playingpieces-are-not shown bodily in Figs. 1-3

but only the standards for supporting them. The board forming the playing surface is indicated by numeral I. It is surrounded by a frame 2! In the board there are longitudinally extending slots 3a and 3b and transversely extending slots 4a 5 and 4b. The slots 3a are occupied by standards 5a and the slots 3b are occupied by standards 5b.

In the slot 4a is a standard 6a. and in'the slot 4b is a standard 6b. The standards 5a are connected to the rods id to be controlled thereby, 10 whereas the standards 5b areconnected to the rods 1b to be controlled thereby. The standard Ea is connected to the rod 8a to be controlled thereby, and the standard 61) is connected to the rod 8b to be controlled thereby. Therrods 1a and lb as well as the rods 8a and 8b extend through apertures formed in the walls of the frame'2. The end-walls of the frame 2 memevided with centrally positioned recesses 9a and 9b to form-the goals. The bottom'surfaces of said recesses are on a slightly lower level than the playing surface between the goals so as "to form an upstanding edge preventing the puck from bouncing back'out of the goal. The standards 5a with their playing pieces, not shown, are adapted to drive the puck into the goal 9b, and the standards 5b of the other group are adapted to drive the puck into the goal 9a..

In Figures 2a and 2b a form ofconnection-between a standard'and its rodwith the associated means is illustrated. The reference numerals are'the same as those usedin Figure 1, that is to say, 1 indicates the board, 2 the frame, 5 a-standard,.and 1 a control rod. The standard 5 and the rod 1 'are connected together by means-of a helical spring Ill constituting a flexible connection between said elements. i The standardiextends through a tubular member II and the rod 1 extends through a tubular member l2. These two tubular members are rigidly connected to eachother by a wire member l3 which is preferably soldered to the tubular members so as to form a carrier for the standard -5 and the rod 1. Secured to the-lower surface of-the frame 2 is a board I l provided with longitudinally extending slots l5 parallel with the slots 3a and 3b of the board I, one for each rod la and lb,'respectively. Said slots are engaged by -a part [3a of the wire member l3. In Figure 2a one side Wall of one of the slots I5 is shown. The tubular member extends by the side of said slot above theboard l4.- The part I32) of the wire member I3 is situated below the board I, thereby preventing the tubular member 1 I from being lifted up through theslot 3. The-tubular member ll engagesthe slot 3-55 and due to this engagement and to the engagement of the part 130. in the slot l5 of the bottom board [4, the standard 5 is always maintained at right angles to the surface of the board I in a plane perpendicular to the slot 3. In the plane along said slot 3 the standard 5 is maintained in a position at right angles to the surface of the board by the action of the rod 1 and the carrier I3. The standard 5 may be reciprocated along the slot 3 by means of the rod 1 and may also be unlimitedly rotated by the rotation of said rod, independently of the other standards together with their rods.

Figure 3 is a similar view to that shown in Figure 2a of a modified form of the flexible connection between a standard 5 and its rod 1, said modified connection comprising two universal joints l6 and a connecting member between them.

The guiding of the rods 80. and 8b may be different from that of the rods Ia and 1b. As indicated in Figure 1, the rods 8a, and 8b extend not only through apertures in the longitudinal walls of frame 2 but also through apertures in supports I! rigidly connected to the board I. Due to this feature and due also to the standards 60. and 61) being guided by the slots 4a, and 4b, the standards are always maintained in a position at right angles to the surface of the board I without requiring any guiding means for the part Ho. The rods 8a and 8b are located in another plane than the rods 1a and 11), so that the various rods may pass crosswise of each other without interfering with each other. Of course, all of the rods and thus also the rods 1a and 1b may be mounted in the same way as the rods 80. and 8b.

For the mounting of the playing pieces on the standards 5 the latter may be made of tubes in which corresponding parts of the playing pieces are inserted. In order to prevent the rotation of said parts in their respective tubes, the parts and the tubes may be in a non-rotatable engagement with each other, for instance, by being formed with co-engaging flat portions. When the playing pieces are intended to imitate ice hockey players, in which case they should be provided with sticks for propelling the puck, the form shown in Figure 4 is preferably used because of its strong and simple construction. In the tubular standard 5 is inserted the lower flattened end of a wire l8 which is curved so that its other end l8a comes into a position corresponding to the position of the lower part of the ice hockey stick. Attached to the upstanding part l8b of the wire is a figure l9 resembling an ice hockey player who gives an impression of holding the part We of the stick in his hands.

When resembling ice hockey players provided with sticks as lBa, the playing pieces by being displaced and turned may reach, practically, every point of the playing surface excepting the corners thereof and a small area at each end of the surface on either side of the goal which cannot be reached by the sticks. Said portions may, therefore, be raised slightly above the remainder of the playing surface, so that the puck cannot slide thereonto. Another way of overcoming the difficulty in question is to form longitudinally extending grooves in the frame into which grooves the sticks may enter through which arrangement they can reach the portions in question.

It is to be noted that the invention is not limited to the embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawing, but modifications may be made Without departing from the scope of the invention. Thus, the positioning of the playing pieces may be changed and the game may resemble any desired game of a similar type. Instead of guiding the rods 1a and 1b by slots in the board l4 longitudinally extending ribs may be attached to the upper surface of said board, forming grooves between them in which the rods may move while being guided thereby. It may be preferred in certain cases to mount the standards in an inclined position in relation to the playing surface, instead of perpendicularly thereto. The carrier for the standards and the rods may be made of sheet metal in an integral piece formed with portions bent around the standards and the rod in order to replace the tubular members II and I2 as well as the other parts necessary for the guiding operation. The ends of the sticks may be located on different levels so that they can pass by each other if they are so long that they could meet. Of course, the playing pieces need not necessarily be removable from the standards but may be formed integrallytherewith.

What we claim is:

l. A table game apparatus intended to imitate hockey or the like which comprises a board having a playing surface, said board having a plurality of, slots extending through said playing surface, a plurality of playing pieces, a plurality of standards each extending through a slot in the board and each standard carrying a playing piece, said standards being displaceable along said slots and rotatable therein about an axis substantially at right angles to the playing surface for propelling puck or the like on the playing surface, a rod below said board for each standard, an angularly bent flexible connection connecting a standard to one end of its rod, guiding means for keeping said rod substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the respective slot, the other end of the rod projecting beyond the peripheral edge of the board and being there accessible for operation, so that the rod can be both displaced longitudinally along the corresponding slot in the board and rotated unlimitedly about its axis independently of the rods for the other standards, a carrier for maintaining the standard and its rod in a given position with relation to each other, guide means for guiding said carrier so as to always keep the standard in a position at right angles to the surface of the board during its movement.

2. A table game apparatus as claimed in claim 1 and in which the carrier for the standard and the rod comprises two tubular members, one surrounding the standard and another surrounding the rod, and a connecting member therebetween.

3. A table game apparatus as claimed in claim 1 and in which the carrier for the standard and the rod comprises two tubular members, one surrounding the standard and another surrounding the rod, the ends of said rod and standard projecting beyond said tubular members at the ends adjacent each other, and a helical spring connecting said adjacent ends together.

4. A table game apparatus as claimed in claim 1 and in which the carrier for the standard and the rod comprises two tubular members, one surrounding the standard and another surrounding the rod, the ends of said rod and standard projecting beyond said tubular members at the ends adjacent each other, and a link articulated between said adjacent ends, said link having universal joint connections with the ends of the rod and standard.

5. A table game apparatus as claimed in claim 1 and in which, below the board serving as a playing surface, another board is provided parallel to said first-mentioned board at a certain distance therefrom, said other board having slots or the like, parallel to the slots of the upper board in which the carriers may move while being guided thereby.

6. A table game apparatus as claimed in claim 1 and in which, below the board serving as a playing surface, another board is provided parallel to said first-mentioned board at a certain distance therefrom, said other board having slots or the like, parallel to the slots of the upper board I in which the carriers may move while being guided thereby, the carriers to this end being provided with projections extending down into the slots of the lower board.

'7. A table game apparatus as claimed in claim 1 and in which the carrier for the standard and the rod comprises two tubular members, one for the standard and another for the rod, which members are rigidly connected to each other, the tubular member for the standard being provided with a lateral projection situated below the board serving as a playing surface for preventing the carrier from being lifted up through the slot of said board.

KLAS AUGUST WIDEGREN.

EMIL HENRIK WIDEGREN. 

